Beverley Wakem

Dame Beverley Anne Wakem DNZM CBE (born 27 January 1944)[1] is the former Chief Ombudsman of New Zealand.

Dame Beverley Wakem

DNZM CBE
Wakem in 2012
7th New Zealand Chief Ombudsman
In office
23 April 2008 – 9 December 2015
Preceded byJohn Belgrave
Succeeded byPeter Boshier
Personal details
Born (1944-01-27) 27 January 1944
Wellington, New Zealand
Alma materBA (1968)
Victoria University of Wellington, MA (1973)
University of Kentucky[1]

Wakem's background is in broadcasting, public relations, and consulting for both the public and private sectors. She was chief executive of Radio New Zealand from 1984 until 1991. In 1991, she was appointed commercial director for Wrightson Limited, soon becoming the company’s general manager of human resources and corporate affairs. From 1996 to 1997, Wakem was executive chairman of Hill & Knowlton New Zealand, and in September 1997 was appointed to the Higher Salaries Commission.[2] She was appointed to the role of Ombudsman on 1 March 2005 and reappointed for another five-year term on 1 March 2010.[3]

In October 2010, Wakem was appointed president of the International Ombudsman Institute. She is the first woman and the third New Zealand ombudsman to hold this position.[4]

After completing her second term as Chief Ombudsman, Wakem stood for and was elected to Porirua City Council in the 2016 local elections.[5]

Honours and awards

In the 1990 Queen's Birthday Honours, Wakem was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to broadcasting and to the community.[6] The same year, she was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[1] In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, she was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the State.[7]

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References
  1. Alister Taylor (2001). New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001 Edition. Alister Taylor Publishers. p. 909. ISSN 1172-9813.
  2. "Appointments — Chief Ombudsman". House Of Representatives. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  3. "Inquiry into the appointment of an Ombudsman" (PDF). House of Representatives. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  4. "Who is the Ombudsman?". Office of the Ombudsman. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  5. Kris Dando (10 October 2016). "Porirua City Council welcomes five new faces and welcomes back a former councillor". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  6. London Gazette (supplement), No. 52174, 16 June 1990. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  7. "Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee honours list 2012". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
Government offices
Preceded by
John Belgrave		 New Zealand Chief Ombudsman
2008–2015		 Succeeded by
Peter Boshier
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